Reader's Diary #2276 - Daniel Kraus (writer), Chris Shehan (artist): The Autumnal

I've been happening upon, for no particular reason, a lot of horror lately where the monsters are plants. It's such an odd subgenre to me. Who's afraid of flora? Try as they might, no one, including the creative team behind The Autumnal, can make them scary.

Fortunately, it has a lot else going for it. With dashes of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," it involves a troubled woman returning to the weird town she grew up in after her estranged mother died.

The characters are rich and fully developed, the story is suspenseful, and the art is amazing. It has a dark, gritty feel which suits the New England gothic atmosphere perfectly.